Seib & Wessel: What We’re Reading Tuesday

Jim Fallows (@JamesFallows) ruminates on the tenth anniversary of what he calls “the start of the ruinous invasion of Iraq,” and recalls those who saw this as a mistake at the time. [The Atlantic]

Michael Hirsh says the Iraq war has “profoundly transformed” American foreign policy, leading to a kind of neo-isolationism. The Iraq Syndrome, as he calls it, is reflected in the U.S. military’s now supporting role to the French in Mali and Libya. “The problem is not just that the war itself went wrong and seemed to lack justification; it’s that few experts deem the counter-insurgency and development (nation-building) parts of the effort to have been worth the cost either.” [National Journal]

The National Catholic Reporter offers a detailed reconstruction of the votes within the conclave of cardinals that produced the new Pope Francis. Among the forces, it says, was a “strong anti-establishment mood,” but the move toward Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina came by a “process of elimination.” [National Catholic Reporter]

Nomura’s Richard Koo says easier monetary policy alone won’t fix what ails Japan. The key is whether Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers on his fiscal strategy (including an investment tax credit), deregulates and opens shuttered domestic markets to trade — and the private sector takes over from the public as the source of demand. [FT]

Charles Wyplosz joins the chorus of criticism of Europe’s imposition of a tax on bank deposits in Cyprus, or as he puts it, the “confiscation.” The “deeply dangerous policy” could undermine Europeans’ faith in bank-deposit guarantees and spur bank runs in Italy and Spain. “Historians will one day explore the dark political motives behind this move,” he warns. [Vox]

Never too early to speculate: Political analysts Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) and Kyle Kondik (@kkondik) look forward to the 2014 midterm elections and conclude that, despite Democrats’ growing hopes of taking back the House, they actually stand a greater chance of losing the Senate than winning the House. [WSJ]

Estimates for newspaper newsroom cutbacks in 2012 put the industry below 40,000 full-time professional employees for the first time since 1978—down 30% from a peak in 2000. For every $16 in print ad revenue lost, only $1 in digital ad revenue was gained, according to Newspaper Association of America figures. [Pew]

What We’re Writing

Former Sen. Bill Bradley, who engineered the previous wholesale overhaul of the tax code, tells Gerald F. Seib how he would accomplish another overhaul today. [Capital Journal | Video]

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Sign of the Times

Minor milestones we’ve spotted:

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds 58% of Americans now believe same-sex marriage should be legal; 36% say it shouldn’t be. A decade earlier, in 2003, it was the opposite: 37% said it should be legal; 55% said it shouldn’t be. [Washington Post]

A new CNN/ORC International poll has President Barack Obama‘s job-approval rating below 50% for the first time since September—but also finds that 54% have an unfavorable view of Republicans. [CNN]

NCAA bracket — by tuition. Bucknell is the champion with annual tuition of $45,132, about the cost of all four years at either UCLA or the University of Illinois. The lowest: North Carolina A&T State at Greensboro, which charges $2,791. [The Awl]

British mattress manufacturer Savoir Beds is launching a limited edition bed with a $175,000 price tag this week. [CNBC]

Burger King will offer a turkey burger this spring for the first time. It has 530 calories, compared with the Whopper’s 630 calories. [AP]

Ruby-throated hummingbirds, responding to temperature changes, are migrating to North America as many as 18 days earlier than decades ago. [WSJ]

Antarctic tourism went from fewer than 2,000 visitors a year in the 1980s to more than 46,000 in 2007-08. The numbers then plummeted, bottoming out at fewer than 27,000 in 2011-12. The International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (based, improbably, in Providence, R.I.) estimates 35,000 will visit in 2012-13. [AP]

As hospital rating schemes proliferate, more hospitals have something to boast about. About one in three U.S. hospitals – 19 of 22 in Baltimore, 21 of 24 in Fort Lauderdale — has won at least one “best of” distinction from a major rating group or company. [Kaiser Health News]

For critical perspectives on politics and the economy from Jerry Seib & David Wessel, visit Seib & Wessel.

About Washington Wire

Washington Wire is one of the oldest standing features in American journalism. Since the Wire launched on Sept. 20, 1940, the Journal has offered readers an informal look at the capital. Now online, the Wire provides a succession of glimpses at what’s happening behind hot stories and warnings of what to watch for in the days ahead. The Wire is led by Reid J. Epstein, with contributions from the rest of the bureau. Washington Wire now also includes Think Tank, our home for outside analysis from policy and political thinkers.